The first thing you need to know is that weight gain and losing weight are both on an individual level. There is no one-size-fits all approach, which can make it difficult to know what to do. That’s why the first step of taking action on your new eating plan is focusing on creating habits that work for your lifestyle.
Why Weight Loss is So Hard
Weight loss is one of the most frustrating things for many people to experience. This is especially true when dieting, because sometimes even though you are restricting the amount of calories you consume, your weight does not change. At other times, you lose weight but it comes right back. The only way to know if this is happening to you is by regularly monitoring your weight and calculating your calorie intake versus output.
What Causes Weight Gain
There are many reasons why we might gain weight. The most common causes of weight gain include overeating, not getting enough exercise, and hormonal changes. This article discusses some tips for maintaining or losing weight.
The Benefits of Losing Weight
Losing weight is the best thing you can do for your health. It’s also a good idea to maintain a healthy weight since studies show that people who are overweight are more likely to die from chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and stroke. Losing weight has been shown to reverse some of these conditions, too!
How to Lose Weight
One of the most common reasons we gain weight is because we overeat. Overeating simply means that we consume more calories than we should. To lose weight, you must eat fewer calories than you expend. How many calories you need to consume per day depends on your activity level and can vary from person to person.
To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. For example, if you eat 2,000 calories per day and burn 2100 calories.
Alternatives to Maintaining or Losing Weight
Dr. Debby Sanford, RD, CDN, is a dietitian and author of “The Crash Diet Handbook: The Guilt-Free Plan for Fast Weight Loss.” She suggests five complementary weight loss programs to help people maintain or lose weight. These are Health at Every Size®, Intuitive Eating®, Paleo, The Engine 2 Diet®, and the Lemon Detox Diet®.
Tips for Maintenance or Loss
The first thing I would say is to find out what works for you. It may take a little bit of experimenting, but it will be worth it in the end. Do some research on your own or talk to a friend about what they do that has been successful for them. Some people prefer to stick with a diet plan and others like to eat healthy but don’t worry about the quantity of food they eat. Others still like to count calories and make sure they are eating at least 1200 per day. You’ll have to figure out what approach suits you best!
Conclusions
If you’ve tried everything to lose weight and it’s not working, don’t give up. Talk to your doctor about what is causing your weight loss issues.
